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Sprint Cup
BYRNES: Earnhardt On NASCAR RaceDay; More This Week On Race Hub
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will continue his exclusive interview with SPEED reporter Steve Byrnes tonight on NASCAR Race Hub...
EARNHARDT, JR. OFFERED INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEW ON NASCAR RACEDAY; CONTINUES ON NASCAR RACE HUB THIS WEEK
Earnhardt, Jr.: For years, about 12 years, when I’d go to the races, I never got out of the motor coach – never … Something that simple seemed so easy for everyone else, but it was really tough for me.”
Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., sat down with SPEED’s Steve Byrnes for an introspective interview whose first segments aired on today’s NASCAR RaceDay and will continue throughout the week on NASCAR Race Hub (Monday through Thursday at 6 p.m. ET). The two covered topics ranging from the driver’s deep appreciation of the 2012 championship battle to overcoming his anxiety in crowds and stepping outside his comfort zone.
Following is a transcript from the NASCAR RaceDay interview. Additional segments will run throughout the week on NASCAR Race Hub, hosted by Byrnes.
Byrnes: Truthfully, you’re kind of quiet. You’re not pretentious but you’re also not loud.
Earnhardt, Jr.: “I don’t really like confrontation and I don’t like to speak loudly and get anybody’s attention in the room. When I’m eating dinner in a restaurant, I like to keep to myself. For years, about 12 years, when I’d go to the races, I never got out of the motor coach – never. So, I didn’t know what was outside the race track at Dover or Pocono. In the last year-and-a-half, two years, since I started working with Steve (Letarte), he likes to move around and go eat dinner and do things, and so I started doing that, and that was a really big deal for me. Something that simple seemed so easy for everyone else, but it was really tough for me.”
Byrnes: "Dale, I was reading your comments from your media availability yesterday (Friday) and it was interesting that you said the points lead is great but it’s not the championship. But it’s not about vindication; it’s more about validation."
Earnhardt Jr.: "I am not going to sit here and tell you I knew I would get back on top or I knew I would get back to where I wanted to be, or be as competitive as I have ever been. I didn't know if and when I would get back to competing like I want to or should. I knew if I just stayed patient I had a lot of years to try and maybe things would work out. Fortunately enough it did. Rick put me with the right group for me that seems to work for me and we all seem to work really good. You know we’re really consistent and we’ve been lucky to be consistent. We’re not winning as often as I want to, but we’re right on the cusp of getting to win three or four races a year. But that one win was just a little bit of a tease to us, so we’re ready to get back to Victory Lane and do it more often, do it more than once.”
Byrnes: You have been really gracious and thorough about giving Steve Letarte credit, but what I am really curious about is what has changed about you because Jeff Gordon said (paraphrasing), “I don't know what has changed but something has changed.”
Earnhardt Jr.: (Laughing) "Well, yeah alot's changed with me personally. But I never took a lap off. I ran as hard as I knew how to run but a couple of those years, I was miserable. I was miserable coming to the track. I just knew it was going to be another disappointment, and I had had all the disappointments that I could take. You know one run after the next after the next after the next of struggling and defeat and being beat down. It just seemed like everybody counted me out, and I was feeling bad for the people I was with because I couldn't make it better. You know when things weren't going good with my team, we didn't talk about it. We didn't know if anyone was blaming anybody, I don’t know if they thought I might have been blaming them or whatever it was. It was just really miserable and I hated it because nobody deserved it. You don't make excuses for failing, but you can't give up on yourself. You know I think about this weekend, for example, and just going through the motions and talking to Steve about the car and going to the team debriefs and just doing the things were doing, I see a dramatic change in myself, in the ethic, the work ethic and what I’m willing to invest mentally and how much time I am willing to invest and to devote to talking about the car. I have never had it like this before. This is the best it has ever been in my career as far as me enjoying what I am doing. I love racing. I can't imagine doing anything else but this is as much fun as I have ever had doing it."
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Earnhardt, Jr.: For years, about 12 years, when I’d go to the races, I never got out of the motor coach – never … Something that simple seemed so easy for everyone else, but it was really tough for me.”
Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., sat down with SPEED’s Steve Byrnes for an introspective interview whose first segments aired on today’s NASCAR RaceDay and will continue throughout the week on NASCAR Race Hub (Monday through Thursday at 6 p.m. ET). The two covered topics ranging from the driver’s deep appreciation of the 2012 championship battle to overcoming his anxiety in crowds and stepping outside his comfort zone.
Following is a transcript from the NASCAR RaceDay interview. Additional segments will run throughout the week on NASCAR Race Hub, hosted by Byrnes.
Byrnes: Truthfully, you’re kind of quiet. You’re not pretentious but you’re also not loud.
Earnhardt, Jr.: “I don’t really like confrontation and I don’t like to speak loudly and get anybody’s attention in the room. When I’m eating dinner in a restaurant, I like to keep to myself. For years, about 12 years, when I’d go to the races, I never got out of the motor coach – never. So, I didn’t know what was outside the race track at Dover or Pocono. In the last year-and-a-half, two years, since I started working with Steve (Letarte), he likes to move around and go eat dinner and do things, and so I started doing that, and that was a really big deal for me. Something that simple seemed so easy for everyone else, but it was really tough for me.”
Byrnes: "Dale, I was reading your comments from your media availability yesterday (Friday) and it was interesting that you said the points lead is great but it’s not the championship. But it’s not about vindication; it’s more about validation."
Earnhardt Jr.: "I am not going to sit here and tell you I knew I would get back on top or I knew I would get back to where I wanted to be, or be as competitive as I have ever been. I didn't know if and when I would get back to competing like I want to or should. I knew if I just stayed patient I had a lot of years to try and maybe things would work out. Fortunately enough it did. Rick put me with the right group for me that seems to work for me and we all seem to work really good. You know we’re really consistent and we’ve been lucky to be consistent. We’re not winning as often as I want to, but we’re right on the cusp of getting to win three or four races a year. But that one win was just a little bit of a tease to us, so we’re ready to get back to Victory Lane and do it more often, do it more than once.”
Byrnes: You have been really gracious and thorough about giving Steve Letarte credit, but what I am really curious about is what has changed about you because Jeff Gordon said (paraphrasing), “I don't know what has changed but something has changed.”
Earnhardt Jr.: (Laughing) "Well, yeah alot's changed with me personally. But I never took a lap off. I ran as hard as I knew how to run but a couple of those years, I was miserable. I was miserable coming to the track. I just knew it was going to be another disappointment, and I had had all the disappointments that I could take. You know one run after the next after the next after the next of struggling and defeat and being beat down. It just seemed like everybody counted me out, and I was feeling bad for the people I was with because I couldn't make it better. You know when things weren't going good with my team, we didn't talk about it. We didn't know if anyone was blaming anybody, I don’t know if they thought I might have been blaming them or whatever it was. It was just really miserable and I hated it because nobody deserved it. You don't make excuses for failing, but you can't give up on yourself. You know I think about this weekend, for example, and just going through the motions and talking to Steve about the car and going to the team debriefs and just doing the things were doing, I see a dramatic change in myself, in the ethic, the work ethic and what I’m willing to invest mentally and how much time I am willing to invest and to devote to talking about the car. I have never had it like this before. This is the best it has ever been in my career as far as me enjoying what I am doing. I love racing. I can't imagine doing anything else but this is as much fun as I have ever had doing it."
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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